Key holder

ABSTRACT

A key holder consisting of a housing, having a locking chamber formed therein, and a key strap in the form of the resilient flexible strip of spring steel mounted with both ends thereof adapted to be located in the housing in the locking engagement. The holder also includes a manually engageable actuator means connected to one end of the flexible strap, and adapted to lock in engagement with the other end of the flexible strap in the housing. The actuator means is manually engageable to release the locked end of the strap so that it may be removed from the housing to permit keys to be mounted on or removed from the outwardly projecting portion of the strap.

United States Patent Hillis [541 KEY HOLDER 72 Inventor: Donald A. Hillis, 27 Kingslake Road, Willowdale, Ontario, Canada [22] Filed: Feb. 22, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 117,279

[52] US. Cl ..70/457, 70/459 [51] Int. Cl. ..A47g 29/10 [58] Field of Search ..70/456 R, 456 B, 457, 458,

France ..70/459 [451 Oct. 10, 1972 1,397,455 3/1965 France ..70/459 Primary Examiner-Robert L. Wolfe Attomey-Fetherstonhaugh & Co.

57 ABSTRACT A key holder consisting of a housing, having a locking chamber formed therein, and a key strap in the form of the resilient flexible strip of spring steel mounted with both ends thereof adapted to be located in the housing in the locking engagement. The holder also includes a manually engageable actuator means connected to one end of the flexible strap, and adapted to lock in engagement with the other end of the flexible strap in the housing. The actuator means is manually engageable to release the locked end of the strap so that it may be removed from the housing to permit keys to be mounted on or removed from the outwardly projecting portion of the strap.

8 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PAIENTEDncI 10 m2 INVENTOR.

DONALD A. H LLI S fla /,4

ATTORNEYS KEY HOLDER FIELD OF INVENTION This invention relates to key rings or key holders and the like.

PRIOR ART Key chains and key rings are extensively used for holding keys together in a group. The widely used key chain which consists of a number of spherical members connected together has the disadvantage that it is difficult and awkward to disconnect the chain from its coupling member. There is in the coupling member places of strain on the link with which it engages and periodically this link is broken off. The conventional key ring employs a closing lever which again is difficult to grip so as to open the ring.

SUMMARY The present invention provides a simple and inexpensive key ring structure which is easy to open and close.

The key holder of the present invention is also constructed in such a manner that no rivets or screws are required in holding all of the components together.

According to an embodiment of the present invention the key holder comprises a housing having a locking chamber formed therein and a key support strap consisting of a narrow strip of resilient flexible material. The key support strap is bent upon itself and mounted within the locking chamber in a manner such that the opposite ends of the strap may be placed in locking engagement within the housing. The ends of the strap can be disengaged by manual actuator means which projects outwardly from the housing.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The invention will be more clearly understood after reference to the following detailed specification read in conjunction with the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded pictorial view illustrating a key holder in the locked position; and

FIG. 2 is a partially sectioned side view similar to FIG. 1 illustrating the key holder in the open position.

With reference to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the reference numeral refers generally to a key holder according to an embodiment of the present invention. The holder consists of a housing 12 and a key support strap 14. The housing 12 is formed with a locking chamber 16 and consists of a side wall 18, a pair of oppositely disposed end walls and a bottom wall 22. The chamber 16 is open at its upper end and on one side. The open side of the chamber 16 is completely closed by the second side wall 18a which fits in a close fitting relationship within a recess 24 formed about the open side of the chamber 16.

Projections 13, 15, 17, 19 and 21 are formed integrally with the side wall 18 and project inwardly therefrom. The projections 15, 17, 19 and 21 each have inner surfaces which collectively define a rectangular opening. A rectangular block 23 is mounted on the inner face of the wall 180 and it is formed with the central opening 25, which is adapted to receive the projection 13 in a close fitting sliding relationship. The dimensions of the block 23 are such that when the projection 13 is located in the opening 25 the side walls of the block are arranged in a close fitting relationship with respect to the edges of the projections 15, 17, 19 and 21 which define the rectangular opening .described above. This arrangement insures that when the two halves of the housing are assembled, they may be tightly interlocked. As will be apparent from the following description of the invention, none of the forces which contribute to the locking and unlocking of the strap 14 will be transmitted to the wall 18a, so that the two portions of the housing may be secured to one another by means of an inexpensive adhesive or the like.

The side wall 18a carries an upper wall 26 which extends across the open upper end of the chamber 16 to meet the wall 18. The upper wall 26 is spaced inwardly from the end walls 20 on the one side a distance sufficient to provide clearance for the thickness of the strap 14 and on the other side a distance sufficient to permit the strap to pass into and out of the locking chamber. A passage 28 is formed in the lower wall 24 to receive a manually operable actuator means as will be described hereinafter. A stop member 30 is mounted on the inner surface of the lower wall 22 inwardly from the passage 28 and a stop member 32 is located within the locking chamber outwardly of the passage 28. The stop member 32 is notched so as to receive a folded portion of the strap 14 in a close fitting relationship, as shown in FIG. 1. The V-shaped notch cooperates with the folded strap to make it difficult to remove the strap from the housing by a direct pull without first manually activating the actuator.

The key support strap is preferably made from a resilient flexible material such as spring steel and consists of a U-shaped main body portion having a pair of ends 34 and 36 projecting inwardly therefrom towards one another. The end 34 forms a V-shaped connection with the main body portionof the strap and projects inwardly and upwardly therefrom. The V-shaped connection is adapted to fit in a close fitting relationship with the notch formed in the stop 32. The strap is formed with an S-shaped free end portion 38. The end 36 has a first portion projecting inwardly substantially at right angles and a second portion projecting upwardly therefrom to a lug 40 which projects at right angles from the upwardly inclined portion 42. The strap 14 has a straight portion 44 at the end of one of the legs of the U-shaped body portion which is held against an end wall 20 of the housing by the outer surfaces of the projections l5 and 21. The projections 21 and 19 are spaced from the bottom wall 22 a sufficient distance to receive the generally flat portion 36 of the strap in a close fitting relationship.

The inner portion 42 of the strap is pivotable in the housing. A manually engageable actuator lever 46 is secured to the free end 40 of the strap so as to be movable in an are about the pivot point. The actuator member has a generally S-shaped inner end 48 adapted to complement the S-shaped end 38 of the strap. A small ridge 50 is formed on the body of the actuator to act as a stop to limit the outward movement of the actuator. The ridge 50 also serves to compress the V- shaped portion of the strap 14 when the actuator is depressed. The actuator has a curved inner and outer surface formed from a radius of curvature generated from the pivot point of the arm 42. The upwardly inclined portion 34 of the strap is arranged to be tangential to the curvature of the actuator and to engage the actuator at a level above the ridge 50 when in the locked position shown in FIG. 1.

In use the key holder is assembled without the use of any locking screws or clamping screws. The releasable end of the strap is located within the housing in the position shown in FIG. 1 with the S-shaped end of the manually engageable actuator member. The actuator member may manually engage so as to move from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position shown in FIG. 2 This releasing action is achieved by pressing down on the end of the manually engageable member. When the device is in the position shown in FIG. 2, the removable end of the strap can be removed readily from the locking chamber and any number of keys or the like may be located on the key support strap.

As shown in the drawings, the ridge 50 is circumferentially displaced from the radius which extends from the pivot point adjacent to the lug 19 through the arm 42 and as a result the ridge 50 tends to compress the V-shaped portion of the strap when the actuator lever is depressed. By compressing the V-shaped portion in this manner, the S-shaped end of the strap is moved away from the complementary S-shaped end of the actuator. Simultaneously the end of the actuator which is located in the S-shaped end of the strap forces the upper end of the strap upwardly, thereby tending to disengage the actuator from the strap. The strap will remain in contact with the actuator until the lower outwardly directed leg of the S-shaped portion passes outwardly from the outermost portion of the upper end of the actuator. At the point where the strap is released by the actuator, the V-shaped portion of the strap is compressed such that as soon as it is released the compressive forces will cause the end of the strap to jump out of the opening in the housing in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 2. It will be understood that while the strap 14 is generally U-shaped, it is designed so that when it is in an open position the legs of the strap are spaced apart a distance which is greater than the width of the chamber formed within the housing so that when the strap is released in the manner shown in FIG. 2, both of the legs of the U-shaped section will tend to move outwardly relative to the cross-bar of the U- shaped section. It will be noted that the inner surface of the rear end wall 20 is upwardly and outwardly inclined so that the portion 44 of the strap 14 is held slightly out of a vertical plane such that bending of the strap 14 takes place about the rear leg of the U-shaped section when the front end of the strap is mounted in the housmg.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention provides a simple and inexpensive mechanism for carrying keys. The device is easy to operate so as to release a key, while the locking action is sufficiently effective to prevent the device from becoming acidentally unlocked. These and other advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A key holder comprising,

a. a housing having a locking chamber formed therein,

b. a key support strap consisting of a narrow strip of resilient flexible material having a generally U- shaped main body portion and a pair of ends projecting inwardly from the main body portion towards one another, said ends each having a free end disposed adjacent one another in said chamber,

c. a portion of a first end of said strap disposed inwardly from the free end thereof being secured in said chamber relative to said housing, the second end of said strap being movable between a first position within said housing and a second position disposed outwardly of said housing,

d. the free end of said first end of said strap being pivotable within said chamber between a first position engaging and locking said second end of said strap in said chamber and a second position in which said second end of said strap is released, and manually engageable actuator means projecting outwardly from said housing for moving said first end between said first and second position as required in use.

2. A key holder comprising a housing having a locking chamber formed therein,

b. a key support strap consisting of a narrow strip of resilient flexible material having a generally U- shaped main body portion and a pair of ends projecting inwardly from the main body portion towards one another, said ends having free ends disposed adjacent one another in said chamber, a portion of the first end of said strap being secured relative to said housing such that the free end thereof is free to pivot within said housing about the point at which it is secured relative said housmg,

c. the second end of said strap being movable between a first position within said housing and a second position disposed outwardly from said housing,

. locking means secured to the free end of said first end of said strap so as to pivot within said chamber between a first position engaging and locking said second end of said strap in said chamber and a second position wherein said second end of said strap may be removed from said chamber, said locking means including a manually engageable portion projecting outwardly from said housing for moving said locking means between said first and second positions as required in use.

3. A key holder as claimed in claim 2 wherein said second end of said key support strap consists of a first portion projecting inwardly and upwardly from an end of the U-shaped portion os said strap, and an S-shaped free end portion connected at the outer end of the first portion and forming a locking lug receiving channel therein opening inwardly of the U-shaped strap, said locking means having a generally S-shaped locking lug portion directed outwardly with respect to said U- shaped strap for engagement with said locking channel when said first end of said strap is in said first position within said chamber.

4. A key holder as claimed in claim 3 wherein said locking means has an arcuate shaped body portion having a curvature generated from said pivot point of said free end of said first end, said housing having an opening formed in one wall thereof opening into said chamber so as to permit said arcuate shaped body portion to project outwardly therefrom to be manually en gageable.

5. A key holder as claimed in claim 4 wherein said arcuate shaped body portion is formed with an outwardly projecting ridge which is circumferentially displaced relative to the axis of the free end of the first end of said strap in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said body when moving towards the open position whereby said ridge will engage and outwardly deflect said second end of said strap during movement from the locked position to the unlocked position, said actuator maintaining said strap in said compressed position until the interlocked ends of the strap and the actuator are disengaged at which time the compressive force in the strap causes the strap to move upwardly out of the housing.

6. A key holder as claimed in claim 1 wherein said housing comprises a first portion consisting of a bottom wall, side wall and oppositely disposed end walls which define said locking chamber, said bottom wall having a passage means formed therein adapted to receive said manually engageable portion of said locking means, said first portion having an open upper end and an open side and a second portion consisting of a side wall and a top wall, mounting means carried by said first portion and said side wall and engageable with one another to secure said side wall relative to said first portion in a position closing the open side of said first portion, said top wall being adapted to extend from said second portion to said first portion to close a portion of said open upper end of said first portion, passage means at one endof said top wall for one arm of said U-shaped strap and passing means at the other end of said top wall adapted to permit the second end of said strap to pass therethrough and moving into and out of said chamber.

7. A key holder as claimed in claim 6 wherein said mounting means includes a plurality of lug means mounted on the first portion and projecting inwardly of said chamber to define a substantially rectangular enclosure and a substantially rectanular block mounted on said side wall and adapted to fit in a close fitting relationship within said rectangular enclosure,

8. A key holder as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second end of said strap forms a V-shaped connection with the U-shaped main body portion thereof and stop means having a V-shaped notch therein is mounted within said housing so as to receive the V-shaped portion of the strap in close fitting relationship when said strap is in said first position in locked engagement within said housing. 

1. A key holder comprising, a. a housing having a locking chamber formed therein, b. a key support strap consisting of a narrow strip of resilient flexible material having a generally U-shaped main body portion and a pair of ends projecting inwardly from the main body portion towards one another, said ends each having a free end disposed adjacent one another in said chamber, c. a portion of a first end of said strap disposed inwardly from the free end thereof being secured in said chamber relative to said housing, the second end of said strap being movable between a first position within said housing and a second position disposed outwardly of said housing, d. the free end of said first end of said strap being pivotable within said chamber between a first position engaging and locking said second end of said strap in said chamber and a second position in which said second end of said strap is released, and manually engageable actuator means projecting outwardly from said housing for moving said first end between said first and second position as required in use.
 2. A key holder comprising a housing having a locking chamber formed therein, b. a key support strap consisting of a narrow strip of resilient flexible material having a generally U-shaped main body portion and a pair of ends projecting inwardly from the main body portion towards one another, said ends having free ends disposed adjacent one another in said chamber, a portion of the first end of said strap being secured relative to said housing such that the free end thereof is free to pivot within said housing about the point at which it is secured relative said housing, c. the second end of said strap being movable between a first position within said housing and a second position disposed outwardly from said housing, d. locking means secured to the free end of said first end of said strap so as to pivot within said chamber between a first position engaging and locking said second end of said strap in said chamber and a second position wherein said second end of said strap may be removed from said chamber, said locking means including a manually engageable portion projecting outwardly from said housing for moving said locking means between said first and second positions as required in use.
 3. A key holder as claimed in claim 2 wherein said second end of said key support strap consists of a first portion projecting inwardly and upwardly from an end of the U-shaped portion os said strap, and an S-shaped free end portion connected at the outer end of the first portion and forming a locking lug receiving channel therein opening inwardly of the U-shaped strap, said locking means having a generally S-shaped locking lug portion directed outwardly with respect to said U-shaped strap for engagement with said locking channel when said first end of said strap is in said first position within said chamber.
 4. A key holder as claimed in claim 3 wherein said locking means has an arcuate shaped body portion having a curvature generated from said pivot point of said free end of said first end, said housing having an opening formed in one wall thereof opening into said chamber so as to permit said arcuate shaped body portion to project outwardly therefrom to be manually engageable.
 5. A key holder as claimed in claim 4 wherein said arcuate shaped body portion is formed with an outwardly projecting ridge which is circumferentially displaced relative to the axis of the free end of the first end of said strap in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said body when moving towards the open position whereby said ridge will engage and outwardly deflect said second end of said strap during movement from the locked position to the unlocked position, said actuator maintaining said strap in said compressed position until the interlocked ends of the strap and the actuator are disengaged at which time the compressive force in the strap causes the strap to move upwardly out of the housing.
 6. A key holder as claimed in claim 1 wherein said housing comprises a first portion consisting of a bottom wall, side wall and oppositely disposed end walls which define said locking chamber, said bottom wall having a passage means formed therein adapted to receive said manually engageable portion of said locking means, said first portion having an open upper end and an open side and a second portion consisting of a side wall and a top wall, mounting means carried by said first portion and said side wall and engageable with one another to secure said side wall relative to said first portion in a position closing the open side of said first portion, said top wall being adapted to extend from said second portion to said first portion to close a portion of said open upper end of said first portion, passage means at one end of said top wall for one arm of said U-shaped strap and passing means at the other end of said top wall adapted to permit the second end of said strap to pass therethrough and moving into and out of said chamber.
 7. A key holder as claimed in claim 6 wherein said mounting means includes a plurality of lug means mounted on the first portion and projecting inwardly of said chamber to define a substantially rectangular enclosure and a suBstantially rectanular block mounted on said side wall and adapted to fit in a close fitting relationship within said rectangular enclosure.
 8. A key holder as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second end of said strap forms a V-shaped connection with the U-shaped main body portion thereof and stop means having a V-shaped notch therein is mounted within said housing so as to receive the V-shaped portion of the strap in close fitting relationship when said strap is in said first position in locked engagement within said housing. 